Typically, parking bumpers are made primarily of concrete with internal, axially-extending steel reinforcing bar (rebar) reinforcement and have a generally trapezoidal cross-section or half-octagonal cross-section. Parking bumpers are usually held in place with respect to a parking space or otherwise by gravity, as well as through the use of rebar or other inexpensive metal rods which anchor the parking bumper to the parking lot surface. Mating channels may be provided through the parking bumper with sufficient clearance to allow a length of rebar or a similar metal rod to pass through the parking bumper. Typically, the parking bumper is positioned in the parking lot, and then anchoring posts are driven through the mating channels into the parking lot surface to secure the parking bumper. The parking bumper may be moved to a desired location on a concrete, asphalt, or otherwise paved surface using, for example, front end loaders, cranes, or other common hauling or moving equipment.
Parking bumpers may sometimes be painted. For example, parking bumpers are often painted yellow. Additionally, parking bumpers may be painted with lettering to designate the characteristic of the parking spot, such as the parking spot being for “visitors” or “handicapped”. Painting and labeling, of course, require extra materials and labor.
It is difficult and expensive to transport concrete parking bumpers, as described above, to a given parking lot location. Moreover, the paint or lettering on parking bumpers fades and chips away quickly. As a result, painted bumpers require frequent maintenance. Another drawback of conventional concrete parking bumpers is their vulnerability to the outdoor elements. The freeze-thaw cycle and road salt, particularly in colder climates with snowy and icy winters, degrade concrete parking bumpers, causing them to crack, crumble, chip, or undesirably crush when impacted by a car tire.
The parking bumper shells of the present disclosure overcome these and other shortcomings of conventional concrete parking bumpers. As compared to conventional parking bumpers, the parking bumper shells of the present disclosure are inexpensive to produce, light-weight, and take up less cargo space when nested. Moreover, the parking bumper shells can be formed using material that is already of the desired color, for example, yellow plastic, and preferably, UV stabilized. Thus, the need to continually maintain and paint the parking bumper is eliminated.